ADR Review

Multi-agent debate pattern for rigorous ADR validation. Orchestrates 6 specialized agents through structured review rounds until consensus or 10 rounds maximum.

Quick Start

# Manual triggers:
/adr-review .agents/architecture/ADR-005-api-versioning.md
"review this ADR"
"validate ADR-005"

Automatic Detection: A Claude Code hook (Invoke-ADRChangeDetection.ps1) runs at session start and detects ADR changes, prompting you to invoke this skill. The pre-commit hook also detects staged ADR files and displays a reminder.

| Input | Output | Consensus Required | |-------|--------|-------------------| | ADR file path | Debate log + Updated ADR | 6/6 Accept or D&C |

File Triggers

| Pattern | Location | Events | |---------|----------|--------| | ADR-*.md | .agents/architecture/ | create, update, delete | | ADR-*.md | docs/architecture/ | create, update, delete |

Detection: .claude/skills/adr-review/scripts/Detect-ADRChanges.ps1

When to Use

MANDATORY Triggers (automatic):

• Architect creates or updates an ADR
• ANY agent modifies .agents/architecture/ADR-*.md

User-Initiated Triggers (manual):

• User requests ADR review ("review this ADR", "validate this decision")
• User requests multi-perspective validation for strategic decisions

Agent Roles

| Agent | Focus | Tie-Breaker Role | |-------|-------|------------------| | architect | Structure, governance, coherence, ADR compliance | Structural questions | | critic | Gaps, risks, alignment, completeness | None | | independent-thinker | Challenge assumptions, surface contrarian views | None | | security | Threat models, security trade-offs | None | | analyst | Root cause, evidence, feasibility | None | | high-level-advisor | Priority, resolve conflicts, break ties | Decision paralysis |

Debate Protocol

| Phase | Purpose | Details | |-------|---------|---------| | Phase 0 | Related work research | Search issues/PRs for context | | Phase 1 | Independent review | Each agent reviews ADR | | Phase 2 | Consolidation | Identify consensus and conflicts | | Phase 3 | Resolution | Propose updates for P0/P1 issues | | Phase 4 | Convergence check | Agents vote: Accept/D&C/Block |

Consensus: All 6 agents Accept OR Disagree-and-Commit. Max 10 rounds.

See references/debate-protocol.md for full phase details.

Deletion Workflow

| Phase | Purpose | |-------|---------| | D1 | Detection - identify deleted ADR | | D2 | Impact assessment - find dependencies | | D3 | Archival decision - archive accepted ADRs | | D4 | Cleanup - update references |

See references/deletion-workflow.md for full workflow.

Issue Resolution

| Priority | Requirement | Gate | |----------|-------------|------| | P0 | Must resolve | BLOCKING | | P1 | Resolve OR defer with issue | BLOCKING | | P2 | Document | Non-blocking |

See references/issue-resolution.md for deferral protocol.

Phase 4: Strategic Review (Principal-Level Validation)

After structural and technical review, apply strategic lenses:

Strategic Validation Checklist

Chesterton's Fence (Change Justification)

• [ ] If removing/changing existing patterns: Original purpose documented
• [ ] Investigation evidence provided (git archaeology, interviews, documentation)
• [ ] Confirmation original problem no longer exists
• [ ] Assessment: [PASS | FAIL | N/A]

Path Dependence (Irreversibility Recognition)

• [ ] Historical constraints identified and documented
• [ ] Reversibility assessment complete (rollback capability, vendor lock-in)
• [ ] Migration/exit strategy defined if adding dependencies
• [ ] Irreversible decisions explicitly flagged and justified
• [ ] Assessment: [PASS | FAIL | N/A]

Core vs Context (Investment Prioritization)

• [ ] Capability classified as Core (differentiating) or Context (commodity)
• [ ] If building Context: Justification for not buying/outsourcing
• [ ] If Core: Competitive differentiation explained
• [ ] Assessment: [PASS | FAIL | N/A]

Second-System Effect (Over-Engineering Detection)

• [ ] If replacing existing system: Scope boundaries explicit
• [ ] Feature list justified (not "everything we didn't do last time")
• [ ] Simplicity preservation strategy documented
• [ ] Assessment: [PASS | FAIL | N/A]

Strategic Review Verdict

Overall Strategic Assessment: [APPROVED | CONCERNS | REJECTED]

Blocking Issues:

• [Strategic issue 1 with required mitigation]
• [Strategic issue 2 with required mitigation]

Recommendations:

• [Strategic improvement 1]
• [Strategic improvement 2]

Scripts

| Script | Purpose | |--------|---------| | Detect-ADRChanges.ps1 | Detect ADR file changes for auto-trigger |

# Basic detection
& .claude/skills/adr-review/scripts/Detect-ADRChanges.ps1

# Compare to specific commit
& .claude/skills/adr-review/scripts/Detect-ADRChanges.ps1 -SinceCommit "abc123"

Verification Checklist

After skill invocation:

• [ ] Debate log exists at .agents/critique/ADR-NNN-debate-log.md
• [ ] ADR status updated (proposed/accepted/needs-revision)
• [ ] All P0 issues addressed or documented
• [ ] Dissent captured for Disagree-and-Commit positions
• [ ] Recommendations provided to orchestrator

Anti-Patterns

| Avoid | Why | Instead | |-------|-----|---------| | Single-agent ADR review | Misses domain expertise | Use full 6-agent debate | | Skipping Phase 0 | Duplicates existing work | Always research first | | Ignoring D&C dissent | Loses important context | Document all reservations | | Manual ADR monitoring | Error-prone | Use Detect-ADRChanges.ps1 | | Deleting accepted ADRs without archive | Loses knowledge | Always archive accepted ADRs |

References

| Document | Content | |----------|---------| | debate-protocol.md | Full Phases 0-4 workflow | | deletion-workflow.md | Phases D1-D4 workflow | | issue-resolution.md | P0/P1/P2 handling and deferral | | artifacts.md | Output formats and templates | | agent-prompts.md | Detailed agent prompt templates |